Barbara Roberts, (Healthy Eating #2237) has received a certificate of achievement in Cleaning Up for earning an intermediate level Going Green badge.

"Finally I made some soap so that I could get this intermediate badge. I had already made my own laundry detergent and have been using it for awhile. I really like it and the cost is about 2 cents per load.

I have made my own all purpose, window and floor cleaners as well. These recipes have been shared on my website (www.HealthyEatingOnTheRun.com) in my September newsletter, and with my local Farmgirls chapter.

The hand soap that I made was using the Melt and Pour method. I had gone to the local Michael's craft store and purchased some base for this.

Once I got home, though, and looked at the ingredients in it, I realized that it had as much garbage in it as the commercial soaps, so I took it back. I then ordered some organic base online.

Last night I made a batch using some molds that I had purchased. It turned out beautifully!

I put some coarse sea salt in with it as well as some paprika to add some color. A scent was included with the base so I used some of that - now my house smells like Almond Biscotti."

Barbara Roberts, (Healthy Eating #2237) has received a certificate of achievement in Cleaning Up for earning an expert level Going Green badge.

"My house is as "green" as I can get it. I thought that I wouldn't be able to get this badge because my partner Brian would never go for an outdoor clothesline. But one day we were in Home Depot and I saw this easy to set up one that didn't require much room, so I bought it and used it.

I was pleasantly surprised at how wonderful the clothes smelled after drying outdoors (I should have remembered from my childhood.) So Brian started putting his clothes out there too. Success! He even bought sand bags to put on the base when the high winds we have here on our mountain side blew it over.

We don't have any carpets in our house, only hardwood floors and we're not planning to repaint any time soon (although the house could probably use it.)

I spent six hours at my best friend's house in Atlanta helping her to use eco friendly cleaners and get rid of toxic ones. I also showed her how to make a compost pile and go green that way.

I have purchased books that are required reading for these badges. These books on hopeful futures are in the library at our Hen House for any Farmgirls to check out as they feel the need."

Bea Campbell, (Quiltingbea #2575) has received a certificate of achievement in Stitching & Crafting for earning a beginner level Aprons badge.

"I made this half aprons from some fabric my friend gave me.

I am happy with the way it turned out. I didn't use a pattern. I just cut the panel out,turned the ends under 1/4 inch and added the ties. I plan to wear this apron when ever I'm in the kitchen doing the dishes or fixing meals."

Justine Thompson, (JThomp #2904) has received a certificate of achievement in Each Other for earning an intermediate level Families Forever badge.

"I started keeping track of how much TV my family and I were watching about three weeks ago. I kept a log of the time the TV was on. We have turned the TV off and reduced our consumption by 50% in the last week.

I was really surprised at how much the TV was actually on. A lot of it was that we would turn it on and then wander off to do something else or only half pay attention to it. Keeping a written log of the time was a little shocking when I totaled the times for each day. We also really looked at the types of things we were watching.We are being much more selective about what we watch and reducing how much we watch by 50% has made it clear where the time is really going, even when we don't think we are watching the TV. We have better focus, we are getting more done, and enjoying each other's company. It is surprising how much we've been able to accomplish in just a week. We are all reading more and playing more. We don't miss all that TV either."

Suzanne Holland, (Suzanneh #3608) has received a certificate of achievement in Cleaning Up for earning a beginner level Shopping Green badge.

"I collected 9 reusable (made from recycled materials) shopping bags and they are actually cute! My family and I have started using them for our shopping. When we have more groceries than will fit in our bags we use the recycled bags at the store and then we re-cycle them we get home for the trash cans.

Paula Black, (Sheepless in Seattle #2953) has received a certificate of achievement in Cleaning Up for earning a beginner level Shopping Green badge.

"I have collected over 6 bags to use for grocery shopping. We keep them in the van so they are ready when we are. We've done this since last summer and it has now become a habit.

It's working out better than I thought as my husband uses them when does the grocery shopping (which is like 80% of the time.) I wasn't sure he'd get on the green bandwagon, but he has bless his heart!"

CJ Armstrong, (ceejay48 #665) has received a certificate of achievement in Farm Kitchen for earning an expert level Recipes badge.

"It is pretty much impossible to have any family gatherings any more because my parents are both gone and my siblings are scattered from British Columbia to North Carolina. However, I am able to share my family recipes in the following manners:- with my daughter and her family at our Christmas celebrations (this year was between Christmas and New Years)- with my neighbors (we have really good ones!) and friends at our Christmas Open House celebrations.- summertime gatherings when, and if, any of the family members are able to travel here to the "home base" of our farm.

Because my mom was the perfect example of a farmwife/farm mother/farmgirl and an excellent cook I am honoring her this year, 18 years (02/06/94) after her "home-going" to heaven, with sharing some of her best and favorite recipes in a little keepsake folder for all of her granddaughters.

Cynthia Christen, (#1570) has received a certificate of achievement in Farm Kitchen for earning an intermediate and expert level Recipes badge.

"I bought a software called Master Cooks and created my own recipe book. I called it Cynthia Christen's Family Recipes. I entered all the old recipes and all my own family favorites I have created that my kids love. I made it all organized, printed it on the three hole punch copy paper and made four binders to give to my kids.

I like the way the binders turned out now everyone has copies completed and put in one spot. I just got the kids together and gave them their binders with the family recipes last night. It turned out great!"

Elaine Drane, (Lainey Lou #3848) has received a certificate of achievement in Outpost for earning a beginner level Rocks and Minerals badge.

"I searched the internet for the info I needed. I found the differences between the two. The main characteristics of minerals and the three types of rocks. Some of the everyday uses would be of Halite(table salt) and Chlorine (Clorox)."

Elaine Drane, (Lainey Lou #3848) has received a certificate of achievement in Outpost for earning an intermediate level Rocks and Minerals badge.

"I was not able to find a museum to vist here, but I have been interested in gems and minerals since I was a child. I have visited the mueseum in Denver, Colorado and several times gone to the Witte Mueseum in San Antonio, Texas. I have an extensive supply of gems and minerals and have several displays of different types. I can identify most any type of gem or mineral. My collection contains arrowheads and spearheads I have collected, and several gems, cut and in their raw form."

Elaine Drane, (Lainey Lou #3848) has received a certificate of achievement in Outpost for earning an expert level Rocks and Minerals badge.

"I am definitely a rockhound. As I said I have an extensive collection of rocks and minerals from all over the world. I have had a rock polisher (professional type) since I was 10 years old. I have cut my own gems and made lots of jewelry, and I have volumes of notes on everything from where to look for different stones to how to cut them, etc. I am working on getting enough stuff together for a show now."

Sarah Houlihan, (houligan19 #3828) has received a certificate of achievement in Each Other for earning a beginner level Farmgirl Grammar badge.

"I worked on my grammar and spelling by rereading anything I wrote before I spell checked and tried to fix mistakes on my own. I also learned a new word each day.

My boyfriend took advantage of my needing to learn a new word every day. He had me look up all sorts of government terms that he has been trying to teach me anyway. I'm also currently in a writing class so I had plenty of opportunity to work on grammar and spelling."

Peggy Smith, (forever young #1815) has received a certificate of achievement in Stitching & Crafting for earning a beginner level Embroidery badge.

"At one time I did alot of redwork embroidery. I have not done any for quite awhile. I read over the basic tutorials in MaryJane's book and started doing a group of chickens in redwork.

I did a group of 8 chickens, a rooster and chicks on a 14 x 16 white piece of fabric. I framed that and painted the frame red.It is hanging in my kitchen over the stove. I love it. It's a fun picture to look at."

Peggy Smith, (forever young #1815) has received a certificate of achievement in Each Other for earning a beginner level Know Your Roots badge.

"While my parents were still alive I interviewed them both. We heard stories we had never heard before and learned about relatives and how they all grew up.I took that information along with stories from my siblings and created a book called "Memories of Home".Recently I spent time talking with my oldest brother and sister, who grew up in a different generation than I did on the farm.

It was so interesting hearing about the life they had, going to a one room schoolhouse, homemade toys, ect.I was born on the farm but we moved to town when I was small.What I wouldn't give to have their farm memories growing up in a time gone by."

CJ Armstrong, (ceejay48 #665) has received a certificate of achievement in Cleaning Up for earning a beginner, intermediate and expert level Water Conservation badge.

"BEGINNER: We had a cistern on our farm and had to haul ALL of our domestic water. My dad drilled into us the importance of conserving water so deeply that I have carried that with me all of my life. Dripping and/or unnecessary running of faucets drive me nuts! My husband and I had to haul water to our home where we lived in the desert outside of Phoenix, Arizona. Both of our children were born while we lived there which made the conservation challenges even more significant.We are very careful with any plumbing repairs that need to be made and make them immediately. We have also made significant changes in our practices of water usage. Our water bill has a graph showing water usage for the past year and we are able to compare that month to month. We did measure water to see the results of a week’s changes. We have always been and will continue to be strict with our water usage.

INTERMEDIATE: We have learned all kinds of ways to use gray water and practice it carefully and consistently. Watering plants, our garden, my flowers . . . dishwater can be used to clean out our llama watering barrel before final cleaning, etc. MaryJane's books and magazines are highly prized and utilized resources for our practices.Because we live in a dry climate there isn’t a lot of rainwater to collect, but we do have a system of large plastic buckets that are used to collect for watering the garden, trees, plants, etc.

EXPERT:Because of the month-to-month graph with gallons used and comparisons to past months on our water bill we are able to clearly see what our water usage is. We can basically “predict” what the next bill will be. This also allows us to see any drastic differences that might indicate a leak somewhere that we are not aware of. If that is the case, we will ask our water company service personnel to stop by and check a reading on the meter to see if they can detect any unusual water flow. We have been and will continue to be monitoring our usage and paying close attention to what the graph information on our bill indicates.

We have already managed very successfully to lower our water usage considerably, and I think I can safely say it is a savings of more than 10%. But our habits haven’t changed and we will continue to be diligent with our water usage and conservation.

It is rewarding to see the savings and have established strategies for using gray water, collecting rain water and conserving etc. It is an ongoing responsibility to conserve and protest this precious commodity.. . water!"

Tamara Burger, (grammytammy #2495) has received a certificate of achievement in Cleaning Up for earning a beginner level Water Conservation badge.

"Back in November I took the Gratitude Attitude magazine with me to read on a trip. At that time I started collecting the preheated water for showers and using it to flush our toilet. I estimate we are saving approx. 20 gallons per week just in what we are collecting. I'm not sure what we are saving by not flushing the toilet. Our taps are all leakless.

I can't believe I never thought to do this on my own. Thanks for challenging all of us to conserve!"

Tamara Burger, (grammytammy #2495) has received a certificate of achievement in Garden Gate for earning a beginner level Gaining Ground badge.

"I have kept a compost bin for many years. We regularly add our organic waste, however, in the winter it is difficult to get to the bin (if there is snow). So I did read Worms Eat My Garbage and am planning to start a worm bin that I can use inside during the colder weather.

The book was interesting and a good reference that I will use setting up my bin."

Teresa Julian, (TeresaJ25 #1348) has received a certificate of achievement in Garden Gate for earning a beginner level Birds badge.

"I have been putting out a bird feeder for years, so this badge was really exciting for me to get started on! I was very familiar with my backyard birds, but not so much ones that were native to my area.I went to a website www.wildbirds.com and they have a checklist for each state of which birds to see. I learned so much from this website and I am continuing to learn more from books that I have since ordered.I would LOVE to see:Osprey, Eastern Bluebird, Purple Finch, Oriole, & Purple Martin.There are just too many to list...

Earning this badge has brought renewed interest in my backyard birding hobby! I am so excited to earn the next two levels!"

Teresa Julian, (TeresaJ25 #1348) has received a certificate of achievement in Each Other for earning a beginner level Know Your Roots badge.

"This past Christmas my father began to tell us kids the story of his childhood. We were all pretty stunned, my Dad NEVER talks about his childhood. He shared with us how his parents met, fell in love & married during WWII. The memories he had of Germany were so vivid and clear for a then 3 year old. He remembered the excitement he had when he saw the Statue of Liberty out of this tiny ship window. He described living out on Long Island when pretty much ALL of the island was farmland and his father bought one of the first houses built in Levittown.. which began Long Island's suburban sprawl.

I wish that I had videotaped it, but I didn't want to ruin the moment by getting up from my seat. I know so much more about his parents that I can't wait to dig deeper and find out more about them. I always felt his mother was a cold & distant woman, but hearing the hardships she faced, I learned a new respect for her."

Teresa Julian, (TeresaJ25 #1348) has received a certificate of achievement in Each Other for earning a beginner level Greatest Generation badge.

"My mother-in-law moved in January 22, 2011. She is 85 and could no longer live alone. Aside from the errands I drive her to, we eat lunch out together 2 times a week. I'll go over to "her place" and work on a puzzle with her. She brings me around to her favorite eating spot and now they all know me and have my tea ready when I walk in! Sometimes the conversations can get a little "negative" on her end, so I try and steer her towards talking about her past. She loves to share stories of her childhood and compare it to how different things are today! I have learned to quietly repeat her stories in my head until we get home and I can write them down so her memories wouldn't be lost.

I think it's turning out great. My husband thanks me everyday for welcoming his mom into our home. I know I'm a better person for it, and hopefully my kids can learn from it.My husband told me last month that his mom considers me one of her best friends! It doesn't get much better than that!"

Monica Baro, (Spookychick #3811) has received a certificate of achievement in Garden Gate for earning a beginner level Horse Dreams badge.

"I have loved horses all of my life. I am an artist, and the first thing I drew was a horse. To earn this badge, I visited in my area the W.K. Kellogg Arabian horse center at the Cal Poly University in Pomona California to admire my favorite breed of horse, the Arabian. The reason the Arabian is my favorite breed is because of their beauty. I love the head, with the dished profile and large eyes and nostrils. Also, their tail carriage is naturally high and looks almost fairytale like when running. I also admire their stamina; they are able to endure the harshest of conditions which makes them good at endurance trail riding. Arabians are also used in the refining of other breeds of horses. You can trace the linage of the Thoroughbred to 3 founding Arabian sires which was very interesting to me. When I was in my 20’s I had the privilege of leasing a horse, her name was Bonnie and she was a Bay Quarter Horse. I soon found out what it took to care for these amazing beautiful creatures! It was hard work. The saddle itself was very heavy, (western saddle) and the time it took to prepare her for a ride involved grooming her before saddling up, cooling her down, and grooming after all the tack was removed. My best friend owns Bonnie's son, “Tonka”. His sire was a Tobiano Pinto. Tonka is also a Tobiano Pinto; he is black and white and is now 26 years old. When I go to visit my friend, I always have to go and see Tonka. My friend's sister also has horses. She has a Palomino and a Roan Quarter Horse, and a rescued Thoroughbred race horse. I like to groom and give treats to them. When I visit my friend, I also help her when she goes to the feed lot to get hay for her and her sisters' horses.

I have always wanted a horse, and the dream came true in my 20's. I live in an area now where I cannot keep a horse, but I still can enjoy them when I visit my dear friend. Also, I have drawn and painted horses for most of my life. They are always in my mind and be expressed through the artwork."

Elaine Drane, (Lainey Lou #3848) has received a certificate of achievement in Outpost for earning a beginner level First Aid badge.

"I made a list of the things that should be included in a typical First-aid kit and gathered the items and then divided them into two different containers for both of our vehicles. While I was at it I made an 'emergency' package to include the first-aid kit in with blankets, some nylon rope, a folding shovel, some jumper cables, a flashlight and other things I deemed necessary and put them into a plastic bin that fit under the back seat, and in a small niche in the trunk of the car. We already have first aid kits in the various rooms in the house along with fire extinguishers in the kitchen and one in the back and outside in the shop area my husband uses.

It was a good time to reorganize and update the existing first aid kits. Now they are available no matter where we are."